Public Warning

Early Warning is critical is any disaster situation. There are various warning methods available to County officials in the event that a disaster or emergency situation requires prompt notification to the public.

Emergency or Disaster Examples

  • Tornadoes
  • Floods
  • Hazardous Materials Incidents
  • Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant Accident
  • Enemy Attack

Warning Methods

  • Outdoor Warning Sirens
  • Tone-Alert Monitors
  • Emergency Alert System [EAS]

Citizens can also purchase a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio. Information about this indoor warning system can be found at the bottom of this page.

Outdoor Warning Sirens

Sirens are used to provide an emergency warning to persons out-of-doors; they are not designed to penetrate buildings. In Monroe County, these emergency warnings could be for a tornado, hazardous material spill, or a plant accident at the Enrico Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant in Newport. When you hear a siren outside of the normal monthly testing (last Wednesday of the month at 10 am), go inside immediately and tune your radio or TV to an Emergency Alert Station (see list below) for official news and information about the emergency.

Sirens for the Fermi 2 plant are located within a 10-mile radius called the Emergency Planning Zone, or EPZ, of the plant. During the monthly testing, sirens will sound the "Alert" tone, which is a three-minute continuous blast. This tone will be activated for any emergency requiring public warning and notification. Within the Fermi 2 EPZ, there are no longer voice sirens. A single tone siren with no voice system has been implemented, which is consistent with most other nuclear power plant communities throughout the country.

The county maintains and operates a system of high power voice/alert sirens that are located throughout the county.

Tone Alert Radio System

Ensuring the safety of schools and industry within Monroe County is a goal within the Emergency Management Division. Most schools (public and private) and industry within the County have opted to purchase a tone-alert monitor to warn them of impending emergency situations.

Tone-Alert monitors can be activated from either the Emergency Management or Central Dispatch. A two-tone encoding signal is transmitted via radio, followed by a voice announcement indicating the type of emergency and what precautions should be taken.

Tone-Alert Monitor Sites

  • Jefferson Public Schools
  • Bedford Public Schools
  • Monroe Public Schools
  • Airport Public Schools
  • Detroit Edison Coal Powered Generating Plant
  • La-Z-Boy Incorporated
  • Emergency Alert System [EAS]

The Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) is now the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The Federal Communications Commission is currently working on expanding and improving this system to better serve the needs of citizens and emergency workers. Monroe County is part of the Southeast Michigan Operational Area.

EAS Stations

Radio Stations

  • WJR 760 am. Detroit - EAS Primary Station (LP-1)
  • WWJ 950 am. Detroit - EAS Secondary Primary Station (LP-2)
  • WCSX 94.7 FM Detroit
  • WMIM 98.3 FM Monroe/Luna Pier
  • WJOF 88.1 FM Monroe

Television Stations

  • WJBK-TV Channel 2 Detroit
  • WDIV-TV Channel 4 Detroit
  • WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit
  • WMYD-TV Channel 20 Detroit
  • WKBD-TV Channel 50 Detroit
  • WTVS-TV Channel 56 Detroit
  • WWJ-TV Channel 62 Detroit

NOAA Weather Radios

A transmitter is located in Lenawee County that covers both the Monroe and Lenawee regions, plus several counties in northern Ohio.

You may take advantage of these broadcasts to get up-to-the-minute weather updates, and storm warnings in real time. By purchasing a NOAA weather-alert receiver from an electronics store. When purchasing a receiver, be sure that it has the capability of SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding - for filtering out unwanted broadcasts), and also the tone-alert feature that will activate when a watch or warning is issued for our area.

To use this service, program your weather radio to frequency 162.450. Residents living in the northern townships of the county who have trouble receiving on this frequency may tune to the main Weather Radio frequency at 162.550.